If only real court were more like these court battles!
NOTE: This review was written years ago, but it's never been posted on GB. Enjoy!
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Gyakuten Saiban is a court-battle adventure series for the Game Boy Advance which only Japanese gamers were given the privilege to enjoy. Having received none of these games in North America, Capcom saw potential in the Nintendo DS and how Gyakuten Saiban could work with it; they decided to take a chance by releasing the first game in the series to the North American audience and renaming it Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (PW hereafter). Simply put, this is a game that MUST be played.
PW stars the titular character, an American defense lawyer who is fresh off the bar. You’ll take him through five cases: four from the GBA version, and a brand-new DS-exclusive case that lasts nearly as long as the other four cases combined. In PW, you play the role as both detective and attorney; gameplay consists of investigating crime scenes and using careful observation to find evidence, which will then be used in court to prove your defendants’ innocence by finding contradictions in witness testimonies. What sets PW apart from a typical episode of Law & Order is humour, and lots of it. PW is hilarious from start to finish, thanks in part to spot-on writing. Capcom is not usually known for having well-written games (Resident Evil fans can attest to that claim), but PW is rife with quotable dialogue—and great dialogue is part of what makes an adventure game fun. The game’s characters are also great. Most of them are instantly charming and personable (including the Judge, who is this reviewer’s personal favourite), and the expressions they portray when they’re on the witness stand are priceless. You get such a feeling of satisfaction when you put someone in his/her place and he/she reacts (in true Capcom fashion) in exaggerated ways. The accompanying sound effects and screen shaking make it seem like the witness took a “hit”—all that’s missing is the life gauge.
The controls in PW are intuitive thanks to the stylus and touch screen, but it seems natural that adventure games work really well on the DS. Every action can be performed with the stylus, so there’s no need to ever use the buttons save for suspending the case in progress. The DS’ microphone can be used to press the witness or to raise objections, but still, the stylus has you covered. Besides, it would be wise to not use the mic while you’re out in public.
From an audiovisual standpoint, PW shines. The character sprites are nice and large, although the animations are limited in number. Basically, the animations are used where they count (such as in the characters’ facial expressions), but this tactic works great. PW also uses some simple 3D graphics that look good, though that Blue Badger is creepy to look at in motion (you’ll see).
Phoenix Wright has a few problems. Resuming a suspended game does not delete the saved file, which allows players to “cheat” their way through each case by resetting the game after making a bad choice. It’s already hard enough to lose a case, since you can only lose during court battles, and even then you’ll usually be directed towards the right solutions. During the investigations, you can’t progress until you’ve found all the evidence you can acquire. In other words, it’s impossible to miss evidence; therefore, you’ll always have everything you need for the upcoming trial. That, too, detracts from the challenge. Lastly, once you’ve beaten the game, there’s little reason to replay it, unless you want to extract every single piece of dialogue from the game (which actually isn’t a bad idea since the writing is so good). A great idea for a possible sequel would be to add some sort of multiplayer court battle; one player would be the defense attorney, the other player would be the prosecutor, and the objective would be for one player to “guess” the correct verdict (the other player would know the answer) by providing evidence and raising objections at the right times. It’s a sketchy idea at best, but a well thought-out multiplayer mode would greatly increase a future game’s longevity.
Phoenix Wright is not a game that any DS owner should overlook, simply because the game is entirely entertaining. Adventures games of this quality do not come around often, so it would be wise to snatch it up before it’s too late. Besides, purchasing the game could mean that the remainder of the Gyakuten Saiban series makes their way to North America, and even better, the series may get a fourth installment with the aforementioned multiplayer mode. If you want more adventure games, now’s your chance to show Capcom you care.
